UK NEWS

BLAIR'S FAREWELL LANDS TAXPAYERS WITH £1.7M

Tony Blair entertained show business and sports stars with taxpayers money

Thursday July 26,2007

By Macer Hall, Political Editor

Comment Speech Bubble Have your say(7)

THE full cost to taxpayers of Tony Blair’s lavish farewell was laid bare last night – and immediately brought accusations of a “gravy train.”

It came after details of his £1.7million travel bill and list of celebrity house guests between June 2006 and last month were revealed.

Number 10 documents released yesterday showed the former Prime Minister entertained show business and sports stars at his grace-and-favour country mansion Chequers in his final months in office.

They included singer Charlotte Church, TV presenter June Sarpong, newsreader Kirsty Young, radio DJ Chris Evans and television presenter Vernon Kay.

And Mr Blair went on more than 20 foreign trips while bidding goodbye to the world stage, even using the Queen’s Flight to travel to Brussels and for a family holiday in Italy – for which he personally repaid the £3,925 costs.

The revelations of the dinner parties and luxury travel provoked fury among MPs and low-tax campaigners last night.
Theresa May, Shadow Leader of the House, said: “Gordon Brown promised to restore trust in politics.

“Hard-pressed taxpayers will be asking why he’s forced them to foot the bill for Tony Blair’s departing extravagances. Same old Labour, same old spin.”

A one-week Middle East tour by Mr Blair, with 30 officials and including a visit to British troops in Iraq, cost the taxpayer £323,162.

And a trip to the US, including talks with President Bush and California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, also came to more than £250,000.

His guest list for dinners at Chequers included TV presenters Adrian Chiles, Lorraine Kelly, Fiona Phillips and Tess Daly.

He also invited churchmen including Dr Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury. But only a handful of politicians were invited.

They included Jacqui Smith, now Home Secretary, David Blunkett and John Prescott. Gordon Brown, then Chancellor, wasn’t invited.

Neither were senior Labour figures in the cash-for-honours saga, including Mr Blair’s personal fundraising adviser Lord Levy.

Lib Dem frontbencher Norman Lamb said: “Many names on this list reveal the frivolity and celebrity-obsessed nature of the Blair administration.”

He complained about the time it took to release the details, saying drinks with Vernon Kay and Charlotte Church seemed to be treated as a “state secret.”

BLAIR'S FAREWELL LANDS TAXPAYERS WITH £1.7M

27.07.07, 12:09am

The same should apply to him as the students at universities,they have had all the freebies at the taxpayers expense now it's pay back time.
Blair is, we are told, in a position to earn millions,the same set of rules should apply,after all the payback when students were earning was his idea.

• Posted by: Maggie • Report Comment

GREAT POSTINGS - NOW TO RID THIS NATION OF COMRADE BROWN!

26.07.07, 7:17pm

The parasitical Blair has, as mentioned, eradicated the Great, from Great Britain. All the postings on this topic are terrific and true… Now, it is time for us to rid this nation of his loathsome and equally, malevolent successor, Comrade Brown!

• Posted by: misanthrope • Report Comment

BLAIR'S FAREWELL LANDS TAXPAYERS WITH £1.7M

26.07.07, 1:48pm

Its a small price to pay to celebrate a man who has enjoyed phenominal success during his Premiership.

In my opinion here are some of his achievements :-

a) The Man who succeded in destroying the "Great" in Great Britain ?

b) The Man who succeded in selling out his Country to Europe for a nil return ?

c) The man who successfully used "The Opposite of the Truth" in his quest to declare war on Iraq? A war that has cost the British Taxpayer dearly.

d) The man who presided over a government that successfully allowed standards in the Health Service to fall and for staffing levels of Managers and Administrators to exceed those of Doctors, Nurses and other Professionals.

e) The man who spouted "Education,education, education", and then succeded in allowing Educational Standards to fall following a general dumbing down of examinations etc.

f) The Prime Minister whose Policies (or lack of them) succeded in allowing Sex
Offenders and Paedophiles carry on working in our schools until Media Pressure
forced his Education Minister to take action. (More of a panic measure to try to save
the Party's image rather than a genuine concern to protect children).

g) The Man who successfully used fine rhetoric to make his policies sound good and then found ways to manipulate the figures to make it look as if they had worked.

h) The man who promised that everyone would have access to a NHS Dentist and then,
through poor funding, succeded in forcing most UK Dentists to abandon the NHS.

i) The Man who successfully steered Britain to a "Third World Status" ?

There are no doubt countless additional achievements but they will be for others to consider. Please feel free to add them to the list

• Posted by: EmperorMing • Report Comment

PARASITES PARADISE MUST COME TO AN END!

26.07.07, 12:17pm

The greatest shock of this latest junket on the taxpayer is that anyone actually showed up to be associated with the cash for honours crook and war criminal Tony Blair.

Still, it is oft said that "by their deeds you shall know them" and indeed we do know them now....

Blair should be made to foot the bill out of his own large pockets. This man's delusion is now complete in that he still refuses to accept the reality that he is hated by the vast majority of British people.

We must look forward to the day when the corrupt regime he led, is at an end and we can then begin the process of recovering the proceeds of crime!

For an even more damning insight into the real Blair years visit:-

www.news-alliance.com/the_blair_years.html

You will never again think of Blair in the same light....

• Posted by: news_alliance • Report Comment

BLAIR'S FAREWELL EXTRAVAGANZA

26.07.07, 11:43am

And this government has the audacity to question the frugal spendings of the Queen. When did wannabe (failed) rockstar B'liar ever count the taxpayers pennies or his money grabbing wife ?

• Posted by: john_I_55 • Report Comment

JUDAS JOCK BLIARS FAREWELL LANDS TAXPAYERS WITH £1.70 MILLION BILL.

26.07.07, 10:48am

SEND THE PARASITIC, DESPOTIC, LOATHSOME TRAITOR THE BILL.
He along with the voluptuous Cherie have systematically milked the gravy train almost dry, they have 'no shame', they think that they are royalty.
I have nothing but contempt for anyone who can sell us down the river, ruin a country after PROMISING us so much.
Things have a habit of changing in life and I CANNOT find it in my heart to wish them well, they can rot for me.

Good luck.

• Posted by: Robertz • Report Comment